1. Field of the Invention
This application Claims Priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/557,852 filed on Nov. 9, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/576,790 filed on Dec. 16, 2011, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/588,104 filed on Jan. 18, 2012, of which all are herein incorporated in their respective entirety by reference.
The present invention relates generally to door slam prevention devices. More particularly, it relates to a component adapted to prevent a high velocity full closure of a door into a door jamb stop as well as providing controlled closure of the door thereafter. The device thereby can prevent potential injury to humans or animals which might have a body part in-between the door and jamb and helps to prevent damage to the door or jamb parts which a high velocity impact can cause.
2. Prior Art
A slamming door can cause many problems. Such slamming can be caused by wind in some cases, or accidental closure in others. On a boat or ship, movement or wind can initiate a high velocity closure or slamming of a door. The dangers of having a finger or hand smashed between a door jamb of a closing door are extreme. A crushing of fingers or toes or actual amputation can occur under the right conditions. Further, animals such as dogs and cats, can be severely injured and are unaware of such a potential for harm.
The dangers are further elevated if the closing door is a solid core or metal door or otherwise considerably heavy, even if, closing at a slow speed since force is the result of mass times its velocity. Even a lightweight door closing at a high velocity as it contacts the door jamb, can render extreme injuries to an unlucky occupant of the space between the door and jamb.
Whether moving at a high or low speed closure, such a closure is conventionally referred to as a slam or slamming. In an effort to slow door closure, many household, commercial, and public buildings employ dampeners such as hydraulic resistors or other means for providing a controlled, often slow, closure of an opened door. However, these efforts still may fall short. In some cases, such as in high wind, the wind forces may overpower the hydraulics and still cause the door to slam at a considerably high velocity, or, high force winds can breaks or disable some dampening type devices and cause a resulting injurious slam.
Additional dangers are also present even if a user's hands are clear of the door jamb. In the case of a high velocity door slam, once a user opens the door and begins to pass through the door way, the slamming door can strike the individual from the rear and cause considerable damage. Such damage may be increased if the door is of considerable weight or mass. If the door strikes the user in the rear while they are positioned on the opposite side of, or slightly within the door jamb, and not cognizant of their proximity to the plane occupied by the closed-door face, they can be thrown to the ground and suffer further injuries from the unsuspected impact. If the user is a young child, elderly, or happens to be struck in the head, the damage could unfortunately be fatal.
For one example, cruise ships and other passenger ships are known to employ fire safety doors often using hydraulics or other means for automatically closing the door after opening. These doors are often large and extremely heavy as is required for fire regulations. In open waters, wind may easily catch the large doors and as mentioned above, overpower the controlled closure provided by the hydraulics or other means, causing the door to slam.
Still further, the swaying or rocking of the vessel may additionally cause an ajar door to slam shut. Additionally, there are many doors on ships, just as in commercial buildings and homes, which have no protection against slamming due to an aversion by owners to the mounting and use of hydraulic dampeners or other means of slowing rotation of the door on the hinges. Even when hydraulic dampeners are employed, they can impart a false sense of security since such dampeners are frequently maladjusted, or rendered inoperable from age or lack of maintenance. Consequently, doors lacking functioning dampeners and the like, are prone to high velocity rotation from wind, children or adults pushing them, and movement of the structure housing them. The resulting slamming is as such, an injury waiting to happen.
Aside from damage to users, a slamming door may additionally cause damage to door hardware and even the door jamb frame and/or door jamb stop. Such repairs or replacements can be quite costly and extensive, and thus may go unrepaired for a time period, wherein the dangers are even further elevated.
Slamming hazards are also found in high velocity closing vehicle doors, cabinets, and drawers. For car doors, damage to metal or other components of the door are expensive and may compromise the integrity of the door. Also, due to the weight and protruding latches employed in car doors, hands or fingers caught between may be pulverized and not merely smashed. Cabinets and drawers are potential finger and hand hazards as they are often high traffic areas.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for a door slam prevention device and method which provides controlled closure thereafter as needed for increased safety. Such a device should be easily engageable to an existing door. Such a device should not impede the closing of a door like a dampener so as to be employed where such hydraulic or other resistance is not wanted or needed. Such a device should be ideally adjustable to allow for user changes to operation from full prevention to no prevention. Still further, such a device should be employable to fail or move to a retracted position to allow door closure where it is needed or required to allow its use when not in a failure mode.